orbit 1 of 2

verb

Definition of orbitnext
as in to circle
to travel completely around the moon orbits the Earth

Synonyms & Similar Words

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orbit

2 of 2

noun

as in loop

Related Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun orbit differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of orbit are compass, gamut, range, scope, and sweep. While all these words mean "the extent that lies within the powers of something (as to cover or control)," orbit suggests an often circumscribed range of activity or influence within which forces work toward accommodation.

within that restricted orbit they tried to effect social change

When might compass be a better fit than orbit?

In some situations, the words compass and orbit are roughly equivalent. However, compass implies a sometimes limited extent of perception, knowledge, or activity.

your concerns lie beyond the narrow compass of this study

Where would gamut be a reasonable alternative to orbit?

The words gamut and orbit can be used in similar contexts, but gamut suggests a graduated series running from one possible extreme to another.

a performance that ran the gamut of emotions

When can range be used instead of orbit?

The words range and orbit are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, range is a general term indicating the extent of one's perception or the extent of powers, capacities, or possibilities.

the entire range of human experience

In what contexts can scope take the place of orbit?

Although the words scope and orbit have much in common, scope is applicable to an area of activity, predetermined and limited, but somewhat flexible.

as time went on, the scope of the investigation widened

When would sweep be a good substitute for orbit?

The meanings of sweep and orbit largely overlap; however, sweep suggests extent, often circular or arc-shaped, of motion or activity.

the book covers the entire sweep of criminal activity

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of orbit
Verb
The public officials and business leaders in Putin’s orbit owe their positions, their influence, and their wealth to their loyalty and service to him alone. —Celeste A. Wallander, Foreign Affairs, 9 Sep. 2025 Importantly, Tumi expands its orbit through boundary-pushing partnerships — most notably with McLaren. —Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
While most satellite internet services operate from single geostationary satellites orbiting Earth at about 22,236 miles, Starlink is a constellation of thousands of satellites that operate from a low-Earth orbit, about 341 miles up. —Eric Lagatta, AZCentral.com, 5 Sep. 2025 SpaceX lands Falcon 9 boosters on offshore drone ships after most of its launches and only brings the rocket back to an onshore landing on missions carrying lighter payloads to orbit. —Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 4 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for orbit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for orbit
  1. circle
  2. loop
  3. traverse
  4. circuit
  5. trajectory
  6. path
  7. route
Verb
  • Less than 12 seconds later, the vehicle was off the runway, but the plane had already started circling the airport.
    — Aaron Cooper, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Mesa smacked his first career MLB home run — a three-run blast 394 feet to right field — to provide the highlight of the night for the Marlins, who watched the Nationals circle the bases for most of the game.
    — Steve Gorten, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2025
Definition of circle
Noun
  • Understand how long deployments take, what training is required, and whether the data strategy creates a feedback loop for continual improvement.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Without explicit feedback loops—behavioral signals, retraining pipelines and active learning mechanisms—most models get stale over time.
    — Keshav Agrawal, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Definition of loop
Verb
  • The project also calls for several banquet rooms, as well as a 6-foot-wide waterfront walkway, open to the public during business hours, that traverses the perimeter of the property.
    — Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2025
  • In two seasons, released in 2022 and 2025, the show traverses the Star Wars galaxy to show what means people employ to consolidate power and what risks others take to stop empire.
    — The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 10 Sep. 2025
Definition of traverse
Noun
  • Besides college sports, the CW has rights with smaller professional leagues, including the Professional Bowlers Association, Professional Bull Riders, AVP beach volleyball and the NASCAR Xfinity Series, a second-tier circuit to the NASCAR Cup Series.
    — Tim Casey, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Russian tennis star Anna Kalinskaya is pursuing her first Grand Slam singles title of her career while other players on the men’s circuit appear to be going after her.
    — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Definition of circuit
Noun
  • That’s assuming no more Fed officials are fired, which could change the trajectory of monetary policy for the next few years.
    — Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2025
  • But there wasn’t an obvious upward trajectory during training camp and the preseason.
    — Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 10 Sep. 2025
Definition of trajectory
Noun
  • But when their paths do cross, fireworks usually follow.
    — Jay Paris, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Advertisement Kirk’s path to national prominence was unlike that of other MAGA icons.
    — Eric Cortellessa, Time, 11 Sep. 2025
Definition of path
Noun
  • In addition to optimizing queries, Espresso routes queries between different compute clusters to maximize efficiency.
    — Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 13 Sep. 2025
  • The location of the firearm appears to match the suspect's route of travel, the sources said.
    — Jon Haworth, ABC News, 12 Sep. 2025
Definition of route

Browse Nearby Words

orb
orbit
orbited
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Cite this Entry

“Orbit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/orbit. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.

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More from Merriam-Webster on orbit

Nglish: Translation of orbit for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about orbit

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